Percentage of Latino students at Arizona public schools increases as ESA usage rises

PHOENIX – Latino students make up a growing percentage of Arizona K-12 public school students, a trend advocates say is due to the rise of school choice.

About 45.4% percent of Arizona’s public school K-12 students were Latino in the 2020-21 school year, according to data compiled by the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for its annual DATOS reports.

The percentage increased to over 48.2% for the 2023-24 school year, according last year’s report.

The jump coincides with the expansion of Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account school voucher program, which was opened up to all students in 2022.

The ESA program allow families to use public education tax dollars for private school or homeschool expenses. When it was created in 2011, it primarily benefited students with special needs. It was expanded to other groups over the years before becoming universal.

The program has grown to more than 102,000 users, leading to declining public school enrollment. State funding is tied to enrollment, creating budget issues that multiple Valley districts are addressing by closing schools.

Why do Latino students stay in public schools at higher rate?

Stephanie Parra, CEO of Latino public advocacy group All In Education, said she has heard from families who looked into the voucher program but couldn’t find a practical alternative to their public school.

“Just in the vicinity of their neighborhood, there wasn’t a … private school option that was within reasonable travel distance. And when families are needing to drop off multiple children, transportation became a real barrier,” she said.

The impact of ESAs is compounded by the fact that public schools are getting less funding due to enrollment declines.

“The funding options and the funding resources that are left are leaving our public schools with … less resources available to the educators that are leading those classrooms,” she said.

Parra cited Arizona’s literacy “crisis” as a result of lowered funding. For example, the state’s third grade literacy rate dropped from 41% in 2022 to 36% in 2025, according to the Center for the Future of Arizona.

What can be done to improve public education for Latino students?

She said her focus now is making sure local public schools are considered high quality for the Latino students in those neighborhoods.

A big part of that is representation. While almost half of Arizona’s public school students identify as Latino, only 18% of the state’s teachers do, according to the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Parra said having teachers who understand the community’s needs is essential to improving educational outcomes.

“Educators of color’s voices are not always welcome or included in conversation, and so that often leads to an increase in their attrition,” she said.

All In Education is working to amplify Latino voices in education by getting parents involved. The advocacy group’s Parent Educator Academy focuses on informing families about how the governing board and parent-teacher organizations work at their children’s schools.

“We can’t treat parents as passive participants in education. Parents really need to step into their power and be active participants in their kids’ learning,” Parra said.

Funding for this journalism is made possible by the Arizona Local News Foundation.

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